Grating support



April zo, 1926.

W. H. MITCHELL ET AL GRATING SUPPORT- Filed August 30, 1924 IN VEN TOR$ Patented Apr. zo, 1926.

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WILLIAM. HINCKLEY'MITCHELL, or.. NUmLnY, ritmi/1l JERSEY; ,ANn.ALExANDEa-BoN-,

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Y GRATING sUrrom;

Application led'fAugust 30, 1924.. Serial N6. 735,10?.X

To all whom t may concern:

1 Be it known that We, WILLIAM vH'INonL-nr MITCHELL, a citizen of fthe' United States, residing at Nutley', in 4th'e county l of Essex and State of; New Jersey, and ALEXANDER BON-y NELL TArrnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Briarclill Manor, in2- the countyof Westchester, State '-ofNew York, have invented'certain newy andluseftful Improvements in Grating 'Support-s, of whiclr theVv following4 is `a speciication.

Our invention relates toim-provenients in grating'supports.

In practice litfhas been* found that metal gratings used as floors or-v coveringsw for5 vaults, sidewalkfopenmgs a-ndthe l1ke su`-ffer serious deterioration byreason ofthe fact that pockets or traps,1'collectingdust and refuse form onthe shelfangles-ortramesbyL provide a supporting device in which thev surfaces in contact are of minimum area.

A further object of our invention is to provide a grating support which will permit the grating to e easily removed Without leaving any obstruction in the vault opening.

We accomplish these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is an illustration of the preferred form of our device,

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view ofthedevice with locking pin and spring.

Fig. 4 is a view of the supporting bar and sockets,

inclined from a horizontal position.

Fig. 5 isaview of fthef-devicef with voptimal form Iof lockingmeansfand Similar characters olifreterence refer to similar parts throughout the several views: -A'tlthe:.margin-off'tlre openingwhichit is desired to 4cover by aagratingj "11 we provide an-zangle y2 to protect* the edget ofthfe1side 60 Walk `or-ffioo'r. Sockets 3,131j are providedon oppositelsides of the-lopenings. Thesefsockets may4 be attr'mhed'l in any desired-manner'but wcpr'eferto' hang'therni ontof angles?, either by means ofboltsl-t 'or' th'e:likelorfbyl'castinfg- 65 them# integrali with the 1^ angle'- 2 'Riesel sockets arel prefrably@v appl-lied?? when'l the" flooror vlsidewalk is' beingl laid'but may be easily.l applied to an oldioor-orlsidewall'r';

Supportingbars 'extendingacross lthe 70 opening from v side to side are seated in the sockets-3; 31 andffupontheseebars 5"tl'fe:grating panel rests. lVe-'preer-to construct thesupportingbars 5 of such length that they may be seated in 75 their sockets `after the sockets are in position and may be removed therefrom as desired. For this purpose, the length of the bar 5 is preferably slightly less than the distance from the inner de th of one of the sockets 3 to the mouth o the opposite socket 31.

The sockets are arranged in pairs. One socket 3 of each pair is preferably provided with an underhung lip 32 extendlng out be- 35 yond the margin of the sidewalk opening to serve as a rest and underguard for the bar 5.

We provide suicient space 33 in the socket 31 to permit the bar 5 to be inserted when It will thus be apparent that'the bars 5 upon which the gratlng anel'rests may be inserted 'or removed at p easure.

, It is desirable that an open space be left around the grating so that there will be no pockets where dirt, refuse, snow, ice or the like may collect. For this purpose we prefer to space the supporting bars 5 two or vthree inches from the parallel walls of the grating space or vault opening. 10Q The sockets 3, 31 are provided in pairs as above explained, .at opposite sides of the,

grating space, and the bar 5 is inserted in one socket 31 and then drawn out into the oposite socket 3 sothat the ends of the bar 5 will be seated in the two opposite sockets, as shown in Figure 4.

The underhung lip 32 will serve to prevent the bar 5 from falling even through tit should Work out ot the socket, but to prevent accidental displacement of the bar 5 we prefer to provide means for locking the bar in position. One forni ot our locking means is illustrated in Figure 3, in which is shown a compression spring 8 in the socket 9.

The tension of this spring 8 serves to hold the bar 5 in the opposite socket 10.

We also prefer in some cases to provide a pin 7 which is inserted in the bar 5 to hold it in position. This pin 7 may be used either with the spring 8 or without the spring as may be desired.

When the pin 7 is used the under-hung lipmay be omitted and a socket 10 provided which does not project into the vault space.

A further optional form ot' the device is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. In this form of the device we provide a socket 11 having a seat 12. The end of the bar 5 is inserted in the socket 11 and drawn out until the opposite end is seated in its socket when the bar will rest in the seat 12 and will be held in position by means of the shoulder 13 against which it rests.

We prefer in this form of the device to provide a key 14 which may be driven into the socket 11 over the bar 5' to hold it firmly in position.

We have shown a round bar 5 as the preerred form of support but we do not intend to limit ourselves to any particular form of bar, as it is obvious that any form or shape of bar may be used as conditions may render desirable.

/Ve preferably lay the grating on the supporting bar without tying it thereto as the Weight of the grating is ordinarily sufficient to hold it in position particularly Where heavy panels are used but our improved support readily lends itself to the use of any desired tie between the grating and bar which may be desired.

I'Iaving thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In a grating support, the combination of a grating, a plurality of sockets in an adjacent Wall below the surface of the grating, a bar below the grating detachably inserted in the socket and means for locking the bar in the sockets.

2. In a grating support, the combination of a grating, sockets adjacent the grating, a supporting bar below the grating and inserted in the sockets and means for detachably enaging the bar in tlie sockets.

3. In a grating support, the combination of a grating, sockets adjacent the grating, a supporting bar under the grat-ing and having its ends set in the sockets and means for lockingv the bar detachably in the sockets.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, this 25 day of August 1924.

WILLIAM I-IINCKLEY MITCHELL. ALEXANDER BONNELL TAPPEN.

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